Madonna and African adoption?

Gold Member

Just wondering what you guys think of the bunfight involving Madonna adopting this little African kid?
It would seem that it was originally envisaged that she would educate and take care of him till he was older and then he could return to his village.
Fat chance of that! Would you go back to a mud hut and dirt floor after living at Madonnas place for 15yrs or so....yeah right:eyes
I think it was more a case of keeping up with latest trendy thing for celebs to do, like the Pitts,Cruise/Kidman and probably more than a few others.
For what it cost her to go through with this, his whole village could have enough food for more than a year:uhh:

Gold Member

Yeah, it all seems to be a case of 'keeping up with the Jones' or in this case, the Pitts/Jolies. Sharon Osborne, who has never attempted to keep her hatred for Madonna a secret, really sounded off against her in this article. I think it's a bit odd myself. I mean she already has two children of her own, so I'm not sure why she felt compelled to adopt a third. She's done a kind of reverse Angelina Jolie, who adopted two children from third-world countries and then got pregnant.

she was on oprah. says they are building an orphanage in that country and they wanted to adopt and under privledged child previously, but did not know where from. their idea is they can save one life and be raised with an appreciation of where he came from using the opportunities he was affording to help the people of that place as an adult. she says she never in a million years dreamed it would turn into this.

Gold Member

I have two children, and if I could afford it would adopt a baby from another country in a heartbeat! Who knows why people do things? Perhaps she IS using her money for something good...... Why is she the bad guy??

Gold Member

I think us nonfamous and nonridiculouslywealthy people have a hard time viewing celebrities in anything but a cynical light. I think that if her rationale was truly to help this poor village, she could've gone about it in a hundred more efficient ways. Her story sounds a little fishy to me.

Madonna is not my favorite. Still, doing "SOMETHING" however feeble it may be, is better than doing "NOTHING"! Helping the poor is not always as easy as you think. You start passing out free food, and the dirt poor little guy down the street who sells corn meal and beans to the peasants goes broke! He has to close his shop and get in line for your hand out. And when you get tired of doling out free-bees, everyone starves because to the dependence relationship you created!

Helping others to help themselves through training seems to bear the best results.

Gold Member

Madonna is not my favorite. Still, doing "SOMETHING" however feeble it may be, is better than doing "NOTHING"! Helping the poor is not always as easy as you think. You start passing out free food, and the dirt poor little guy down the street who sells corn meal and beans to the peasants goes broke! He has to close his shop and get in line for your hand out. And when you get tired of doling out free-bees, everyone starves because to the dependence relationship you created!

Helping others to help themselves through training seems to bear the best results.

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But if the peasant doesn't have the money to buy the corn meal and beans, he doesn't get to eat. If he has no legs, or is blind, and no one wants to hire him, he starves to death. But that's beside the point. People can help in ways that promote long-lasting change. Building schools and training teachers, building health clinics and providing medical care...installing irrigation systems...making sure that people have clean water. All this stuff requires someone somewhere to cough up $$$. And nobody has to do it, but some people believe that every compassionate gesture elevates the human race a little more. But of course when government's involved there's usually a sinister ulterior motive, but at least something good comes of it.

Gold Member

Uhm, in the case at hand, it's not a vote. I guess I don't know the whole story. I've only read parts of it. From what I've read...there weren't rules/laws, until Madonna introduced this idea....now there are arguments. The father states that Madonna adopted him, or he'd die. I dunno. I was being fecetious.... (obviously). In a perfect world one person could fix something this big. One person can't, really. Even Madonna, I'm afraid.

Gold Member

Madonna is not my favorite. Still, doing "SOMETHING" however feeble it may be, is better than doing "NOTHING"! Helping the poor is not always as easy as you think. You start passing out free food, and the dirt poor little guy down the street who sells corn meal and beans to the peasants goes broke! He has to close his shop and get in line for your hand out. And when you get tired of doling out free-bees, everyone starves because to the dependence relationship you created!

Helping others to help themselves through training seems to bear the best results.

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Actually the entire system is flawed and creates warped incentives. Economists refer to this as the Samaritan's Dilemma. If you help someone they will come to rely on you and expect it.

Gold Member

Yeah, I tend to agree with A1. The system does have some problems and tends to create warped incentives. As Tevye said in "Fiddler on the Roof", speaking to God, "If wealth be a curse, Lord, SMITE ME!!" ;> Ha, ha! Seriously, God has not seen fit to smite me with the "curse of wealth", ha, ha, however, if I had as much money as Madonna has, and if I wanted to try to do some good, I would probably check out the various charity organizations, find the most reputable ones in which the most money goes directly to those being helped, and give money to them. At least some organizations have become more expert in how best to use money to help people. I find myself flabbergated that I would agree with Sharon Osborne, however, it does seem that Madonna would have done better to try to help the boy's father and help his village, in my humble opinion. My wife, the social worker, tells me that here in the states, at least in our state, efforts are made to try to keep children with their families and to try to get them the help they need (medical, psychiatric, food and clothing, etc.) instead of breaking up the family (although sometimes that is needed).

By the way, one of the reasons that I find myself continuing to come back to these forums is because you all have a heart and some intelligence! Sometimes I am so in awe of you all and so PROUD of you! ;>

Gold Member

I totally agree. My wife is a social worker. She and her colleages work extremely hard dealing with numerous social problems in our nation. We feel compassion for people in other nations,yet, even so, our own nation is "going to hell in a hand basket" and people like Madonna need to do what they can to help people over here.

Gold Member

I totally agree. My wife is a social worker. She and her colleages work extremely hard dealing with numerous social problems in our nation. We feel compassion for people in other nations,yet, even so, our own nation is "going to hell in a hand basket" and people like Madonna need to do what they can to help people over here.

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Wow! I couldn't do that!
Too emotional & I would get too attached!!
Much respect!!
Oh & BTW, I can't stand Madonna!!
I respect what she has done & have even shakin my butt
to a few of her tunes, but she is NOT someone I would really
want to be associated with. (personal opinion)
Bella